Watch Trader Joe's shoppers give their mini totes a style upgrade

Fashionistas everywhere know it's not enough to just have a Trader Joe's tote, if it doesn't also reflect your interests or personal style.

From beads to patches, shoppers have accessorized their totes with just about any crafting material you could think of, including paint and charms, since 2024.

"Let's upgrade my Trader Joe's totes from this to this... Now, Hobby Lobby has everything we need to make them the most me, meaning colorful, cute and aggressively maximalist," content creator Cortney Dryden said in an April 2025 TikTok.

"I'm thinking patches, pins and these little keychains to hang off them," Dryden adds, as she hunts for supplies before heading home to decorate them.

Shoppers have me the customization process into a kind of pastime, with some hosting group "crafting nights" with friends and others tackling the project solo, according to clips viewed by USA TODAY.

Lauren Zavala, a designer and artist, took a different approach, electing to hand paint different designs all over her baby blue mini totes, including a tin of sardines, lemon slices and oysters. Zavala also sowed beads onto some of the designs.

"Since there's been so many people talking about these little bags, I wanted to do my own version," the text overlay on the clip reads. "Summer here we come."

Fans tend to be "obsessed" with the final product, either way.

Watch shoppers make their Trader Joe's totes into works of art

More totes are on the way

The specialty grocer is bringing back not one, but two variations of its famed tote bags this spring.

Trader Joe's spokesperson Nakia Rohde confirmed to USA TODAY that another batch of the pastel mini canvas tote bags and a new large canvas bag are on the way.

Dubbed the "next new bag," Trader Joe's is building on the hype (and colorways) of the pastel mini canvas tote bags with the release of the large canvas bag. Each bag has lavender handles and a delicate pink logo.

The pastel mini canvas tote bags, which retail for $2.99, will return in the same colors as last year, including what the company calls delicate pink, baby blue, mint green and lovely lavender. Measuring about 13 inches long, 11 inches tall and 6 inches wide, the mini bags are ideal for "small shopping trips."

Contributing: Saleen Martin and Kate Perez, USA TODAY